Display clock construction



NOV. 16, 1954 HlCKEY DISPLAY CLOCK CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 2, 1951 /N 3 w j J fi m kwwe a 2 a G F ISnventor RQBEPT H. H/CK 5 f M attorneys Nov. 16, 1954 R, i-HCKEY 2,694,285

DISPLAY CLOCK CONSTRUCTION Filed July 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fiR 7 lnvcntor POBERT H H/CKEY (Morncgs United States Patent ()fifice 2,694,285 Patented Nov. 16, 1954 DISPLAY CLGCK CQNSTRUCTEON Robert H. Hickey, Glastonbury, Conn. Application duly 2, 1951, Serial No. 234,742

1 (llaim. (Cl. 58-2) This invention relates to a clock mechanism and, more specifically, to a clockworks encasement and mounting means therefor which may be particularly well utilized in display clock constructions.

An object of this invention is to provide a decorative clock construction having a large dial readily visible from relatively great distances yet which is characterized by a compact and simplified arrangement of an encasement for the operating mechanism so that the clock can be utilized in installations wherein only a very limited space is available normal to the mounting wall or to the face of the clock.

It is another object of this invention to provide a clock mechanism which may be mounted on a wall without unduly disfiguring the same.

A further object of this invention is to provide a display clock construction which may be mounted to the forepart of a Window display and which will not unduly restrict the visibility of the display.

It is another object of the invention to provide an accurate yet decorative timepiece which is particularly adapted to attract observers at a relatively great distance and which may carry advertising indicia readily visible to the observer of the timepiece.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a clock construction which is eye appeal ng intriguing and which is characterized by a simplified and compact arrangement of the operating mechanism and which may be economically fabricated and assembled.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements andarrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front, elevational view of a decorative clock constructed in accordance with the present invention and which is mounted in suspended relation to a horizontal wall;

Fig. 2 is a side view with parts shown in the clock shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view partially in cross section of the clock driving mechanism and the moving parts of the clock construction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating a modification of the encasement for the clockworks and showing the clockworks mounted on a vertical wall; and

Fig. 5 is a front, elevational view of the clock driving mechanism and its associated gearing.

Figs. 1 and 3 illustrate one exemplary embodiment of the present invention wherein the clock mechanism is suspended from a ceiling It) or other horizontal support means. The clock structure illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is particularly adapted as a display piece for exhibition behind a window insofar as the clock dial is open to permit visibility therethrough. In this arranaement, the clock mechanism is secured on a rod or tube 11 which is suspended from the ceiling by means of a hinge support 12. The rod or tube 11 supports the clockwise encasement indicated generally by the reference numeral 13 which carries an hour hand 14 and a minute hand 15. In addition, the tube 11 secures a ring or hoop 16 concentrically disposed about the clockworks encasement and which serves to secure time indicating characters in any desired manner. As an example, the hoop 16 may supsection of 22 port twelve brackets 17 equally circumferentially spaced about its front face, the brackets, in turn, securing the numbers or other characters utilized to designate the hours of time.

Since the clockworks encasement 13 is disposed entirely behind the center portions of the hour and minute hands, a front view of the clock would lead a casual observer to believe that the hour and minute hands are merely journaled on the support 11 and have no driving mechanism. In addition, since the driving mechanism is concealed behind the hands, visibility through the face of the clock is substantially unrestricted.

As previously mentioned, the aforedescribed construction is particularly well suited for window display purposes and the hinge support 12 is so arranged that the clock may be swung away from the window on the support 11 and upwardly toward the ceiling 10 so that the window may be cleaned. However, other eye appealing and attractive arrangements can be made for the aforedescribed construction such as, for example, hingedly supporting the support 11 so that it may be reciprocably pivoted in a plane parallel to the hoop or ring 16. Such an arrangement could be motor driven so that the clock mechanism would swing back and forth as a pendulum. To further enhance the illusory effect of the construction, the support 11 and hoop or ring 16 may be suitably colored so that their appearance can be camouflaged against a similarly colored background.

Referring now more specifically to the construction of the support 11 and the ring 16 and with particular reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the support 11 is arranged to secure the ring 16 at diametrically opposed points, but the ring may be secured at a single point on its periphery. The ring may be secured to the support as by welding or by other conventional means. The brackets 17 are, in turn, welded or other ise secured to the front face of the ring 16 and the ckets may be fabricated in any manner to facilitate .e mounting of the clock numerals or other indicia. For some installations, it may be desirable to use a plurality of concentric rings of varying diameters to transversely support the brackets 17.

in the illustrative disclosure, the suspended support 11 has been shown as tubular, but a rod could be utilized with equal facility. Using either a tube or rod support, the ring 16 and encasement 13 may be rigidly supported whether the tube or rod .11. is suspended from a ceiling as shown or arranged in some other manner as, for ex ample, in a vertical position from the floor or from a stand.

Referring now to the clock operating mechanism enclosed within the encasement 13 shown in Fig. 3, the clockworks are illustrated in a form wherein the drive is furnished by a svnchronous electric motor M enclosed uiin in" 'ng 2%. However, it should be understood that the present invention does not depend upon driving the movem it by an electric motor, but that a spring tensioned motor can be used as Well. The motor housing 29 is secured as by a countersunk screw 21 to a impel-raped mounting plate 22 forming part of the encasement ill and having a forwardly projecting skirt which en scs the periphery of a portion of the housing 2% The cup-shaped plate 22 is, in turn, rigidly to the tube 11 i ermediate the points secured. The motor M has conventio g 25 which is passed through 26 disposed in aligned apertures in the g p are 322 and the wall of the tube ii, and the are carried by the tube away from the clock 1 to conventional el rical outlet.

' \i has a drive shaft 32h projecting forwardly '1 carries a drive gear for rotation The drive gear 31 engages a minute gear the some at one revolution per hour. The e gear 32. carries a hollow minute shaft or arbor which is mounted for 1' tion about a cantilever .3 1 The sp 'lle 34 is fixedly mounted on a 35 which is d achably secured as by screws 35 to the front face of the motor housing 21 The minute gear is of c mpound construction having a pinion section 36 engaging the larger dia neter section of a second compound gear 37. The gear 37 is rotatably mounted on shaft 38 which is fixedly secured at one end to the plate 35 parallel to the spindle 34. The gear 37 is maintained in spaced relation forwardly of the plate 35 by means of a thrust bearing 39 mounted on the shaft 38 rearwardly of the gear 37. The pinion section 40 of gear 37 engages an hour gear 41. The hour gear 41 is mounted for rotation with a hollow hour shaft or arbor 42 which rotates about the minute shaft 33. The shaft 42 co-rotatably mounts a cup-shaped shell 43 forming part of the encasement 13 and having a skirt 44, the rear end of which overlies the forwardly projecting end of the mounting plate skirt 23. A dust seal 45 is disposed in a suitable groove in the forward end of the mounting plate skirt 23 so as to engage the inner surface of the skirt 44 on the cup-shaped shell 43 and prevent the entry of foreign material into the encasement formed by the shell 43 and mounting plate 22.

The hour hand 14 has a forwardly projecting flange 46 which engages the outer surface of the skirt 44 and is secured thereto as by rivets 47. Upon rotation of the hour arbor 42, which is driven at one revolution per every twelve hours through the aforedescribed gearing, the hour hour 14 rotates about the cantilever spindle 34 in properly timed relation. The minute hand is mounted by a hub 50 secured to the outer end of the minute shaft 33 for rotation therewith, and the minute hand, of course, rotates in properly timed order at the rate of one revolution per hour. The minute hand, if desired for the particular installation of the clockworks, may be bent backwardly to conform to the configuration of the cup-shaped member 43 in spaced relation thereto, as shown by the broken lines in Fig. 3, so as to bring the minute hand 15 into closer proximity to the hour hand 14.

As previously mentioned, the spindle 34 is secured against rotation and serves as a support member for the hour and minute shafts and gears. The outer end of the spindle 34 may be provided with a tapped bore so as to fixedly mount a disk 51 as by a screw 52. The disk may be dimensioned as shown in Fig. 3 to completely conceal to a frontal observer the central section of the clock hands and the encasement 13 disposed therebehind. In addition, where the clock is utilized for decorative and advertising displays, the disk 51 may be suitably decorated with advertising legends or indicia or may receive an advertising decalcomania on its front face.

It should be understood from the foregoing description that the clock construction of the present invention may be mounted in spaces where conventional clocks of similar dial size could not be mounted due to their relatively thick construction. In the present construction, the depth of space required is materially lessened due to the fabrication of the cup-shaped shell 43 which carries the hour hand rearwardly of the conventional position and which, at the same time, provides part of the encasement for the synchronous motor M and the clock gearing. In the present construction, it is possible to utilize a relatively small motor and small driving gears to drive large hour and minute hands about a large dial. It has been found that, by properly counterbalancing the hour and minute hands, a motor M and gear unit small enough to fit within a persons hand can be utilized to drive the clock hands about a hoop or ring 16 which is approximately 48 inches in diameter. The aforegoing 48 inch ring is not the largest sized arrangement which can be utilized with such a motor, but is given as an example only.

The construction disclosed in Fig. 3 is by way of illustration only and many modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. One modification, by way of example, comprises changing the configuration of the hour hand supporting member 43 from a cup to a disk, the disk being of sufficient size to cover the clockworks and motor. The encasement in such a modification is completed by extending the skirt 23 of backing plate 22 forwardly and providing a dust seal on the forward edge of the skirt or on the disk for wiping engagement between the skirt and disk. In such constructions it is preferable to mount the encasement on support 11 by extending the same through an aperture in skirt 23 and welding the support to an extension on plate 35. This mounting arrangement provides for securing the hoop 16 to support 11 only at one point rather than at diametrically opposed points.

A similarly constructed clockworks is employed when the same is mounted upon a clock face or wall wherein the hoop or ring 16 is not used. Such a construction is illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein the motor and gear train are identical to the previously described constructions but wherein the previously described back plate 22 is eliminated. In place of the back plate 22 the motor M is mounted directly upon a clock face or wall 60 as by screw 61. The cup-shaped shell 43 is modified by adding to its skirt 44. The skirt 44 extends backwardly so as to enclose substantially the entire motor housing 20. A wiper 62 is secured as by rivets 63 to the inner surface of the skirt 44 adjacent its rearward edge so as to engage the front surface of the clock face or wall 60. In the construction shown in Fig. 4, the minute hand 15 is offset to overlie the cup-shaped shell 43 and to bring the minute hand into closer proximity to the hour hand and to the clock face or wall. The clock numbers or other characters utilized to indicate the time elements may be painted on the front surface of the clock face or wall 60 or separately secured thereto in any conventional manner. It should be understood that the clockworks can be mounted as shown in Fig. 4 upon the internal or external wall of a building and a similar mounting may be used upon a clock face and thereafter the clock face may be hung upon a wall in the manner of a picture. In the last mentioned instance, it is preferable to provide a suitable aperture in the clock face 60 so as to dispose the rear section of the motor casing 20 therein against rotation. By so mounting the motor upon the face, the overall thickness of the construction is lessened.

The particular embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4 may be arranged so that the minute and hour hands will sweep a dial as large as the dial previously referred to in connection with the ring or hoop mounting mechanism for the clock numerals. Here again, counterbalances such as the weight 65 attached to the minute hand 15 oppositely of its pointer are utilized to decrease the driving load of the motor M and its gearing.

It should be understood from the foregoing that there has been provided an improved construction for simply and eco omically encasing and mounting clockworks. In addition, the construction can be installed as an eye appealing attraction for advertising purposes externally or internally of a building without modification and without detracting from the operating characteristics of the works.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

In a clock construction having a motor and a gear train driving concentric hollow hour and minute shafts, the combination comprising a fixed cantilever spindle extending forwardly from the motor and rotatably mounting the hour and minute shafts, a generally cup-shaped mounting plate secured at its closed end to the rear of the motor and encircling the same, a generally cupshaped shell disposed in concentric relation to said mounting plate in spaced relation thereto and encircling the gear train, said shell being secured at its closed end to the hour shaft for rotation therewith, a seal disposed between said cup-shaped shell and said mounting plate to prevent the entry of foreign material to the gear train and motor, a minute hand secured to the minute shaft forwardly of said shell, an hour hand secured to the external surface of said shell for rotation therewith, a disk fixedly secured to the forward end of said spindle to retain the hour and minute shafts against axial movement, an elongated support securing said mounting plate, a ring secured to said support in concentric relation to the hour and minute shafts, and means on said ring for mounting characters thereon in equally circumferentially 5 spaced relation to cooperate with the hour and minute Number hands to indicate time. 940,617 2,036,046 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,431,395

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Number 491,328 Winger Feb. 7, 1893 34,260 802,910 Burmeister Oct. 24, 1905 Name Date Saloch Nov. 16, 1909 Harrison Mar. 31, 1936 Godley Nov. 25, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland Apr. 3, 1905 

